Receiver and grip connection for autoloading pistols



Feb. 12, 1952 W, B, RUGER 2,585,275

RECEIVER AND GRIP CONNECTION FOR AUTOLOADING-PISTOLS Filed Aug. l0, 1949 2 sl'lEETs--SHEET l N y INVENTOR.

ff/12W iwf/f ATTORNEYS Feb. 12, 1952 W, B, RUGERV 2,585,275

RECEIVER AND GRIP CONNECTION FOR AUTOLOADING PISTOLS Filed Aug. lO, 1949 2 SHEETS-ShEET 2 www WMM www ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 12, 1952 rxr-sis frieren-r 'ferries 585,275 "REivnRND'GRIP ooNEo'frioNFoR VAtrroLoiDINof"rrstroLs "William j'15. Ruger, "Easton, :'Cnn., 'ssignor 1*to '"St'urm, 'Ruger ard Company, "'Inc., Southport, 'Gonn.,-a"cor1ioration of Connecticut 'npIiti6nAgust"1o, 1949, serial No. 109,491

(Ulf-424275) 7' Claims.

improvements injsuchguns. My invention lseo'n- 'cerned'with pistols 'generallybut'is'most advantageously applicable to pistols of the blowL-back type.

' My' invention provides f" a Ipistol comprising fas essential vmen'ibers "a, tubularreceiver Secur'eid to the barrel, abreeehboit qpeablewtninthe reoeiver, 'and a grip member removably' attached 'to thereceiver 4and in whiehfare mounted .the magaward travel "of 1the breech' bolt. C'In' one efnbodiment of` myfinv'enti'on, 'I provide" a' single means forv eie'cting'both the rem'oi'I'ableattaChinent of the "grip member 'to the receiver'and'fr,blocking the' rearward travel of the' yb're'eoli"l o`c` lt,2`n1'd yspring means .foriappl'ying a constant pressure between the grip Vmer'nb'er and receiver to ainta'inftight- 'ness between them. 'Invone adaptation'ofthe invention; I provide means for'effeetng .the removabl'attaelnnentand blocking the breech l:5c` lt"h`av ing a 'singlespring which operates the hammer and draws the'grip member into 'snug engagement with' the receiver, eliminating 'slack'or 'play-between' the 'connected members d'ue to the continuous bearing pressre ofthe spring. I'may -use a locking latch operated by the same sprngto lock the attaching and AVNblckingfrneans in position. In one'of its preferred embodiments, the invention comprises means forattaching the 'front -part of-the-gripmember tothe frontepartfof the receiver and mea-ns forattachin'g Atlie "rear: part of'the gripmemb'er tot'he rear paitof ltl'ie'iece'i'ver with means' for' urging them in velitesitin to prevent displacement.

' In'st'ill Y '-anot-her f form of the invention, "I" se av fbloekingnniem'ber 'whichis "'iid to the Vrear ofthe Vgrip member and which removably secures the same tothe 'rear of 'the reeeiver, and anivted y'trigger gardhaving an'integral receiver attachment, ywl'ie'reby the grip member mayybe secured to or -removed from "the dreceiver 'by swinging the trigger guard "to vorv from itsl normal operative position.

VThese andfoth'er novelffeaturesf'of 'tli'einiienl tion will Vbe `'better inde'rst'ood aftr 'considering the following "discussion -'taken vin "J'conjlinetion with' the `faccompanying ydrw'ings,"i`n'fwh'ich:

rig. 1 :is a fsectinai elevation' f -anfauciadtheattachmentfmeans;

lf thebarrel;

2"rearfof a"receivr'andgrip member ill'strating Yfront portions of 'ia receiver "and `grip member 'illustratinganother modification of the invention.

l'threableclf into "'an"d' thus lsecur'ed to -the ,tubular receiver i2.A .The receiver is preferably formed of steel 'and is'ev'lindri'cal interiorly and exteriorly., The 'receiven as bestshown in Fig. 6, has 'a slotf for entry'of the'maga'lz'ine and cartridges whichleaves a lip or edge 1 extending overfth'e barrel undercut"8 leaving a'space` for entry otthegrip member vcoupling means. -The sletlg Aisfor'clearance'of the hammer I0.

'The grip member 3 may befor'm'ed inanysuitlable way, "s'ueh'asby casting, stamping, drawing or maehlni'ng. ssho'wn'in the drawings, the Vgrip n embjerl is formed fof vtwo mating halfl portions I3 'and Mweldedtogether along their con- 'tactinged'ge's which vativantageously embrace'fa'l plane verticallybisecting the grip member. v`As best shown in Figjll, the grip member has arcu.. 'ateshaped outwardly projecting side anges f t6 I1 within which the receiver is nested, Atts-best shown in Fig. 10. Thegrip member half |3-has an inwardly ,prssed'iiange I8 which formsarpartition 'and also abaseguide for the magazine (not shown). which iis inserted from below through the opening I9. The rearward portion 'of the grip"member laswafslt '20 in wliich'isinserted a 'c'ouplirig'member later to be described. -The reenforcingbar 22 with-a central-holef-23#therein is mounted in slots in the sides of the grip member and provides reenforcement for the coupling member.

The front portions of the grip member are left open, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 11, for the insertion therein of the trigger guard 24 which is permanently attached to the grip member by the rivets or pins 25 and 26. The upper portion of the trigger guard has a projecting lug 21 having an arcuate bearing surface which enters the undercut 8 in the barrel and hooks over the receiver lip 1, as shown in Fig. l. The contacting edges of the two mating halves of the grip member are i'lrst welded and then finished resulting in an integral or unitary sheet metal grip member.

The pistol illustrated in Figs. l to 11 comprises a trigger with means (not shown) for operating the sear 3| in the usual semi-automatic manner and a breech bolt 32 of the blowback type which is reciprocably mounted in the tubular receiver 2. The rearward parts of the receiver and grip member are detachably connected together by means of the coupling member 3d. This coupling member comprises a relatively heavy and lrugged base 35 having a bore therein in which is mounted the combination spring 35. The bore extends completely through the base at the bottom but not at the top. At the top a milling cut 31 enters the bore, thus providing a shoulder'or stop 33 for the spring head 39 against which the hammer strut 45 bears. 'I'he lower portion of the base is notched to receive the latch 44 which is pivotally connected thereto by .the Vpin 45. The latch has a curved cam surface 46 which engages the ball 41 at the end of the spring 36, a latching lug 48 which engages the grip member to lock the coupling member in place, as shown in Fig. l, and an operating arm with a nail or coin slot 49 for lifting the latch out of. its locked position, shown in full lines, to the unlocked position shown in broken lines in Fig. 1. vThe upper portion of the base member has a blocking bar 52 with a flatbolt-striking side 53 and a fiat eX- tension 5e by means'of which it is pivotally connectedwith pin 55 to the base. The projecting lug 55 having an arcuate bearing undersurface isY projected through the undercut 9 and hooks over the receiver securing it in position (Fig. 1).

Fig. 4 illustrates the manner in which the coupling member isremoved from or inserted into the slot 2li with the bar 52 being inserted upwardly through the hole 23 and through the hole 51 in the receiver. The fiat strut 4D is, of course, guided into the narrow slot 31 with the end bearing against the cupped upper surface of the spring head 39. VWhen the coupling member assumes the position shown in Fig. 1 with the latch open, as shown in broken lines, it is ready to be locked in position merely by pressing the latch arm downward to the position shown in full lines. The combination spring 36 is very powerful and bears at the lower end against the ball 41 which engages the cam surface 46 and thereby presses the latch into its locked position. It will be noted that the spring bears upwardly against the harnmer and that the downward motion is opposed by the pressure of the lug A56 on the receiver. The receiver is accordingly permanently held with a resilient pressure against the grip member and looseness or play is thereby prevented, regardless of the accuracy of the initial t or changes due to subsequent wear.

The breech bolt, as best shown in Fig. 8, has a longitudinal slot 59 through which the blocking bar 51 is inserted and which guides the bolt in its rearward movement, maintaining it in a nonrotating position. At the rearward end of its travel, the iiat edge 6I of the bolt strikes the nat face 53 of bar 52 and its rearward travel is thus stopped. The action or return spring 62 is mounted over the follower rod 63, both of which are inserted in a recessed portion of the bolt. The rear endof the rod has a wing-shaped plate 64 attached to the end which rides on the flat surfaces 65 of the bolt and the end of the follower rod is held in bearing contact with the bar 52 (Fig. 8). On the rearward travel of the breech bolt, the follower rod 63 remains stationary, and as the action spring is compressed, the breech bolt slides over the follower rod which passes through the hole 66. The breech bolt may be operated manually by engaging the knurled ears 61 and 68 which extend beyond the transverse slot 59 in the receiver. The nat surface 6| receives the blow of the hammer after the hammer has driven the firing pin ahead to fire the cartridge.

In that modication of the invention illustrated in Fig. 12, the receiver 10 has an undercut 1I for the swing of the hammer 11 and the insertion therethrough of the rear coupling member 12. This coupling member has an upwardly ex tending post 13 which enters a vertical slot in the breech bolt and which serves as a rigid block for the rearward travel of the breech bolt. Otherd wise this coupling member is similar to the coupling member 34. It has a rearwardly projecting lug 14 which hooks over the receiver when the coupler is swung on the pivot pin 16, holding it iii. a secure but detachable connection to the grip member 15. The coupling member has an interior hammer spring (not shown) which operates the strut 16 of the hammer 11. The fiat face 18 is the buier surface for the breech bolt. The follower rod. 19 for theaction spring 80 has an annular base plate 8i which enters a slot 82 in the receiver and is held in the position shown by the top of the post 13. The Yend of the rod is riveted over the plate. The front portions of the grip member and the receiver may be detachably connected together in any suitable manner, for example by the means illustrated in Fig. 1i.

In that'modiflcation shown in Fig. 13, the grip member is connected to the receiver 86 at the rear bythe coupling member 81 which is peri auf.; Eq .requiem dus eqn, oq paused/.ie mueue'ur pins or rivets 88 and 89. This coupling mem-ber has an upwardly extending post 99 which enters a slot in the receiver from the rear and serves as a rigid stop for the rearward travel of the breech bolt, as previously described. It has a forwardly extending lug 9| which hooks inside the receiver and secures it in its detachable connection to the grip member. The forward ends of the grip member and receiver are detachably connected together by the bolt 92 which is threaded into the barrel 93. The trigger guard 94 is Welded to the grip member.

In the modification shown in Fig. 14, the forward ends of the receiver 96 and grip member 91 are held together by the trigger guard 98 which is pivotally connected by the pin 99 to the grip member. The upper end of the trigger guard has a hook or lug |00 which slips over the receiver, as shown in full lines. The opposite end of the trigger guard has a hole which coincides with another hole in the grip member and through which a removable pin IBI is inserted to hold it in the position shown in full lines, When the pin is removed and the trigger guard is swung to the position shown in broken lines, the grip member may be detached from the receiver. The trigger guard may be made of spring steel and the hook IES so iocated with respect to the engaging lip of the receiver that a constant spring tension is applied to the coupling when the trigger guard is in the position shown in full lines.

In the pistol of Fig. 1 the barrel and receiver are removed from the grip member by removing the couplingr member in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4 and moving the barrel and receiver forward to uncouple the connection of the lug 21 with the edge portion To uncouple the receiver 'it from the grip member i5 in the modiiication'of Fig. l2, the coupling member 12 is swung on the pivot 7B until the lug 'i4 is clear of the rearward wall M of the receiver and the barrel is moved forward until the lug 2l (Fig. 1l) is disconnected from the edge l' (Fig. 7) In the modification of Fig. 13, after the bolt 92 is removed the receiver is pushed forward to remove it from connection with the lug 9 l.

I claim:

l. In an autoloading pistol having a barrel attached to a receiver and a grip member with means for mounting the hammer, trigger and magazine therein, the improvement which coniprises means for removably attaching the front end of the grip member to the receiver including a lip on the receiver which engages a lug on the grip member, and means for removably attaching the rear end or" the grip member to the rear end of the receiver which applies a constant resilient pressure preventing looseness therebetween.

2. In an autoloading pistol having a barrel attached to a receiver and a grip member with means for mounting the hammer, trigger and magazine therein, the improvement which comprises means for removably atta-ching the front end of the grip member to the receiver including a lip on the receiver which engages a lug on the grip member, a removable coupling member for attaching the rear end of the grip member to the rear end of the receiver which has a spring therein for applying a constant pressure-therebetween preventing looseness, a hammer, means for operating the hammer by said spring, and a latch for securing the coupling member to the grip member in which the spring holds the latch locked.

3. In an autoloading pistol having a barrel attached to a receiver and a grip member with means for mounting the hammer, trigger and magazine therein, the improvement which comprisesl means for slidably attaching the front end of the grip member to the receiver, a breech bolt operable in the receiver, and means for removably attaching the rear end of the grip member to the rear end of the receiver which comprises a bar which is removably inserted through the grip member and receiver for stopping the rearward travel of the breech bolt and a latch for removably securing said bar in its inserted position.

4. An autoloading pistol of the blow-back type which comprises a tubular receiver attached to a barrel, a breech bolt operable in the receiver, a grip member formed of thin metal as an integral structure, means for removably attaching the grip member to the receiver front and rear, the means for attaching the grip member to the receiver at the rear comprising -a block for the rearward travel of the breech bolt, said receiver' comprising undercuts for the cartridges to enter from the magazine and for the swing of the hammer, said undercuts leaving lips on which the attaching means of the grip member make contact, and resilient means for maintaining constant pressure between the receiver and grip member to eliminate looseness.

5. In an autoloading pistol having a barrel attached to a receiver and a grip member with means for mounting the hammer, trigger and magazine therein, the improvement whichgcomprises a pivoted trigger guard with an engaging lug thereon which engages the receiver to removablyattach the front end of the grip member to the receiver, and means for removably attaching the rear end of the grip member to the rear end of the receiver which applies a constant resilient pressure preventing looseness therebetween.

6. In an autoloading pistol having a barrel attached to a receiver and a grip member with means for mounting the hammer, trigger and magazine therein, the improvement which comprises means. for removably attaching the front end of the grip member to the receiver which applies a constant yielding pressure preventing looseness benveen the grip member and receiver at the front, and means for removably attaching the rear end of the grip member to the rear end of the receiver which applies a constant resilient pressure preventing looseness therebetween.

.7. In an autoloading pistol having a barrel attached to a receiver and a grip member with means for mounting the hammer, trigger and magazine therein, the improvement which comprises means for removably attaching the front end of the grip member to the receiver, a vertically disposed hole in the rear end of the receiver, a coincident hole in the rear end of the grip member, a coupling member removably'attached to the grip member having a pivotally connected bar, said bar being insertable through said coincident holes, said coupling member be ing pivotal in the grip member with respect to said inserted bar and having a lug which swings into coupling engagement with said receiver, whereby the rear end of the receiver is detachably connected to the grip member.

WILLIAM B. RUGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 956,431 Schmeisser Apr. 26, 1910 2,136,396 Savage Nov. 15, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 160,771 Great Britain Feb. 2, 1922 

